A Pakistani Christian recently elected onto his provincial assembly has vowed to “protect the rights of all religious minorities”, reports not-for-profit Christians in Pakistan.

Anthony Naveed, who was elected to the Sindh Assembly in last month’s elections, told media he will “try my best to promote the rights of various non-Muslim communities living across the province”, adding that his Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is the “only political party that is taking concrete steps to protect the rights of all minorities, including the Christian community, and empowering them socially, politically and economically”.

In the 210-million-strong nation, minorities account for about 5 per cent of the mainly Muslim population, with Hindus and Christians each comprising around 1.6 per cent.

Naveed said he would work towards implementing a 5% quota for religious minorities in government jobs, and changes to family law. “Because of British-era Christian family laws, the community has been suffering a lot,” he said. “I’ll legislate about it.”

One local Christian quoted by the not-for-profit welcomed his appointment, saying Naveed “lives with us and understands our issues. He has been resolving our issues since the past several years, and hopefully he will now do so from the floor of the Sindh Assembly”.